Today, the third day of November 2024, is celebrated as the thirty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. In the entrance antiphon, we pray: “Forsake me not, O Lord, my God; be not far from me! Make haste and come to my help, O Lord, my strong salvation!”
The first reading from Deuteronomy contains the beginning of the Shema Ezreh, the daily profession of faith of the Jews, which declares the God of Israel as the one, unique, and only God. He gives his chosen people of Israel the prosperity they need. In the second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, the sacred writer stresses the uniqueness, holiness, and permanence of Christ’s priesthood. He contrasts Christ’s priesthood with the priests of the old Covenant, who are subject to death, with Christ who is without sin and whose priesthood is eternal. In Saint Mark’s Gospel, the confrontation between Christ and the Jewish authorities continues. Having silenced the Pharisees and the Sadducees, he now turns to the Scribes and makes it clear to them that the love of God is not complete until it is accompanied by the love of one’s neighbour.
First Reading: Deut 6:2-6
Moses spoke to the people, saying: "Fear the Lord, your God, and keep, throughout the days of your lives, all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you, and thus have long life. Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them, that you may grow and prosper the more, in keeping with the promise of the Lord, the God of your fathers, to give you a land flowing with milk and honey. "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."
Comment:
Deuteronomy is the fifth of the first five books of the Old Testament. It recounts the main events at the end of the forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the desert under the leadership of Moses. They are within sight of the Promised Land and Moses addresses them in a farewell address, telling them the rule of behaviour to keep once they enter the land God has promised them and their ancestors. Moses himself will not be allowed to enter the said land. He transfers the leadership of the people to his military commander, Joshua, who will lead the people across the Jordan into their new land.
In the passage of our meditation, Moses tells the Israelites that God demands total commitment and devotion from them. The first and basic commandment declares Israel’s God to be the one, unique, and only God, who is only satisfied with a pledge of total fidelity, dedication, and love for him alone. They should never be tempted to worship the gods of Canaan, the land they are about to possess. Their God alone will give them the protection and prosperity they need.
The prayer in this passage has been recited by pious Jews over the centuries. They still say it to this day, morning and evening. It is generally referred to as “Shema Ezreh” (Listen, Israel!). This passage is of special importance for the faith and life of the chosen people. The love God seeks from Israel is preceded by God’s love for Israel.
For our part, we too must pray continuously to God to listen to us, listen to the cry of our martyred people in Cameroon today, especially in the north, northwest, and southwest regions of our country where senseless wars have been raging for so long now. May our political leaders imitate Moses, who peacefully hands over the baton of leadership to his commander-in-chief, Joshua, who is to lead his people to victory. A change in leadership is as vital in the church as it is in political life.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, Creator of heaven and earth, we are confident that You sovereignly place every leader and that You have marked the days for which You use them for Your purposes. By Your mighty hand, we pray for peace in our homeland, Cameroon. We pray for unity. But whether in conflict or unity, we are confident that You are implementing Your plan and accomplishing Your will through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Second Reading: Heb 7: 23-28
Brothers and sisters: The levitical priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office, but Jesus, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once and for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.
Comment:
Christ’s priesthood is everlasting. Just as Melchizedek had “no end of life”, so too the Son of God holds his priesthood permanently. The Levites, the descendants of Aaron to whom God, through Moses, entrusted the priesthood of the Jewish people, are mere mortal, but Christ is divine and his priesthood is forever. The Jewish priests could not be permanent mediators because death naturally deprived them of their priesthood, but Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, abides forever because he has already been raised from the dead and will die no more.
Christ’s eternal priesthood is an expression of his love for us; it is linked to the incarnation, which is something permanent. Christ did not only intercede for us when he was on earth, he continues to intercede for us from heaven. Let us continue to seek Christ in the Word and in the Eucharistic Bread and in prayer.
Gospel acclamation: “Alleluia, alleluia. Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord, and my Father will love him and we will come to him. Alleluia.”
Gospel: Mk 12:28-34
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, 'He is One and there is no other than he.' And 'to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself' is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Comment
Over the past weeks, we have seen Jesus confronting the Pharisees (who believe in the resurrection from the dead) and the Sadducees (who do not believe in the resurrection) and making a mockery of them. The Pharisees and the Sadducees are mortal enemies, but when it comes to Christ, the two groups form a common front against him. Today, it is the turn of the Scribes to tempt Jesus. They want to know from him which of the numerous precepts of the Jewish law is the greatest.
He refers them to the prayer of pious Jews, ‘Shema Ezreh’ (Listen, Oh Israel!), which Moses gave the Israelites before they entered and took possession of the Promised Land, as seen in the first reading of this Mass. Christ tells them to love God above all things but adds that the commitment to God is not complete until they add long service to neighbour. The rest of the Law flows from this double commandment.
The personal lesson from this reading is that the solid foundation of our Christian religion is to love God and our neighbour, whoever they may be. This brings to mind the story of the Good Samaritan, who goes to the assistance of a Jew, a declared enemy, where the victim’s fellow Jews prefer to walk on the other side of the road. We love God by keeping his commandments. We can also show him our love through the prayers of thanksgiving and by our attendance at Mass and other liturgical functions.
Loving our neighbor means loving all men and women, no matter their color, race, or religion. Because of our common humanity, we should consider everyone as our neighbor because we are all children of the same God. Our heavenly Father loves us all and is eager to save us. If we love our common Father, we will do all we can to help his other children also to attain salvation. It will earn us God's favour.
Let us pray for peace to return to Cameroon
Lord, put an end to the shedding of innocent blood in our dear land. Destroy the schemes of the wicked who monger after war and create conflict. Quench the insatiable fire of the greedy and murderous, for these people will not inherit Your kingdom. Hear our heartfelt cry, Lord. Amen.
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